The Great Decline – Chapter 15 - Part 02

“Yes Sir! I understand!” replied the commander.

The Great Decline – Chapter 16

There were long bursts of machine gun fire and hand grenade explosions. To the right, under Aliavitsa, flashing rockets lit the hilltop. It looked like the sky and the mountain top were on fire.

“They left!” said the duty officer loudly and looked at his watch. “One o’clock after midnight. They were one hour late. They need to hurry, hurry to get there before dawn. If they find themselves in the open after dawn, they will be spotted by the aircraft. They need to cross the flat area on Revani and Shak and after they reach the Novoseleni River, they should be okay, they would have passed the danger zone,” said the duty officer after he lowered his binoculars with which he was monitoring the lit sky. New glowing rockets went up keeping the terrain visible. It seemed like the enemy was monitoring the column’s movement after it broke through its encirclement and was now running for the village Revani. The enemy was firing long machine gun bursts and mortar fire from the nearby hills.

“There is a call from the Tumbite Command Post,” said the telephone operator. “They are informing us that the head of the column has arrived in the village Novoseleni.

“Should I wake up the General?” asked the telephone operator.

“Let him sleep a little longer. This is his third night without sleep,” replied the commander.

The telephone rang at two o’clock in the morning. The operator answered it and then said: “General Headquarters is asking for the general. I need to wake him up.”

The general shook his head and asked: “Did I sleep long?”

“Only 20 minutes,” replied the operator.

“That long? What time is it?” asked the general.

“It’s past two o’clock in the morning...” replied the operator. 285 “Report!” ordered the general.

“General Headquarters is on the telephone, they are asking for you Sir!” replied the operator.

Kikitsas lifted the telephone handset and heard Bardzotas’s voice on the other side say: “This is second in command. The column has left. We are already at our destination. Monitor the situation and report. That is all!”

“They are asking for you from Faltsata,” said the telephone operator and handed the general the handset.

“Report!” yelled Kikitsas while still thinking of what Bardzotas had said to him and wondering how in hell they had managed to get to Prespa so quickly.

“A column of trucks with headlights on is approaching the village Sveta Nedela. What should I do?” asked the voice on the other side of the line.

“Open fire on them with mortars!” replied the general.

Dawn was approaching. It was five o’clock in the morning. A courier that had just arrived from Krchishta reported that the tail of the column had left the village Kalevishta and was moving along without panic, but with severe losses.

“What?!” Kikitsas suddenly yelled out. “It has great losses and is running without panic? Who told you that, eh?”

“General, reports coming out of Faltsata show the trucks at Bei Bunar...” interrupted the operator.

“You fix the telephone line and you take my horse!” ordered Kikitsas. “Now ride as fast as possible and tell the commander of the 103rd Brigade to immediately send a battalion to cut in front of the trucks and destroy them. The rest of the units are to leave the hills above the village Labanitsa and take a position east of Kosinets.

It was seven o’clock in the morning. The head of the column had passed Shekarits, crossed over the river and had entered the Labanitsa field which was an open, unprotected empty space.

“I have the commander of the 103rd on the line, General,” reported the operator.

“Kikitsas here, I am listening!” ordered the general.

“The enemy infantry, with an unspecified number of soldiers, supported by tanks, is attacking my positions. I have many wounded and killed...” said the voice on the other side of the line.

“Defend yourself! Hold onto your position to the last fighter. The head of the column is already on his way to the village Smrdesh. Within the hour I will have a company of fighters who I will take from the column and send to help you. Where is the Officers’ School?” inquired the general.

“It is fighting a battle at Faltsata...” said the voice on the other side of the line.

The light in many eyes was dimmed that morning...

The next day and the days that followed, the vultures flew in circles over the paths the column had taken in the fields and the brooks...